Evaluating the feasibility of air environment management system for VOCs through ‘VOCs specification’ of petroleum refining industry

ABSTRACT

The chemical industry releases various types of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere, and the concentration of VOCs emitted from chimneys is regulated worldwide. However, some VOCs such as benzene are highly carcinogenic, while others such as ethylene and propylene may cause secondary air pollution, owing to their high ozone-generating ability. Accordingly, the US EPA(United State, Environment Protect Agency) introduced a fenceline monitoring system that regulates the concentration of VOCs at the boundary of a facility, away from the chimney source. This system was first introduced in the petroleum refining industry, which simultaneously emits benzene, affecting the local community because of its high carcinogenicity, and ethylene, propylene, xylene, and toluene, which have a high photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP). These emissions contribute to air pollution. In Korea, the concentration at the chimney is regulated; however, the concentration at the plant boundary is not considered. In accordance with the EPA regulations, Korea’s petroleum refining industries were identified and the limitations of the Clean Air Conservation Act were studied. The average concentration of benzene at the research facility examined in this study was 8.53 µg/m3, which complied with the benzene action level of 9 µg/m3. However, this value was exceeded at some points along the fenceline, in proximity to the benzene-toluene-xylene (BTX) manufacturing process. The composition ratios of toluene and xylene were 27% and 16%, respectively, which were higher than those of ethylene or propylene. These results suggest that reduction measures in the BTX manufacturing process are necessary. This study shows that legal regulations should enforce reduction measures through continuous monitoring at the fenceline of petroleum refineries in Korea.

Implications: Although volatile organic compounds(VOCs) are essential in various industrial sites, they adversely affect the health of people in the near community. Benzene is highly carcinogenic, so it is dangerous if exposed continuously. In addition, there are various types of VOCs, which combine with atmospheric ozone to generate smog. Globally, VOCs are managed as Total VOCs. However, through this study, VOCs have priority, and in the case of the petroleum refining industry, it is suggested that VOCs should be preemptively measured and analyzed to be regulated. In addition, it is necessary to minimize the impact on the local community by regulating the concentration at the fenceline beyond the chimney measurement.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10962247.2023.2182385.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Author contributions

M.-G.K, J.H.K, H.E.L, and K.W.M. conducted and designed the study; H.E.L performed data processing and coding. J.H.K and S.H.C analyzed the results. J.U.Y and M.-G.K wrote the manuscript. C.W.K. modeled the PRTR. H.E.L and J.H.K were involved in the analysis modeling program and chemicals; K.W.M. edited the manuscript. All authors contributed to and approved the final manuscript.

Data availability statement

Data openly available in a public repository that does not issue DOIs.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Ministry of Environment (MOE) of Korea under the title “Es-tablishment of VOCs specification by emission source (II)” [Project no. NIER-2020-01-02-097].

Notes on contributors

Min-Gyu Kim

Min-Gyu Kim is a researcher at Korea University's Department of Health and Safety Convergence Science and Environmental Risk Lab. His research activities include measurement and analysis of VOCs, atmospheric environment modeling, and chemical risk assessment.

Jeong Hun Kim

Jeong Hun Kim Ph.D., is affiliated with the National Institute of Environmental Research. His research is atmospheric environmental engineering and the effect of VOCs in the atmosphere.

Seok J. Yoon

Seok J. Yoon Ph.D., is a research scientist at Korea culture based safety. He is a professor in the Department of Health Science, Korea University. His research activities include analyzing VOCs in the air and evaluating the effects of chemical substances.

Sung Hwan Cho

Sung Hwan Cho is affiliated with the National Institute of Environmental Research. His research is atmospheric environmental engineering and the effect of VOCs in the atmosphere.

Jeong Ung Yu

Jeong Ung Yu is affiliated with the National Institute of Environmental Research. His research is atmospheric environmental engineering and the effect of VOCs in the atmosphere.

Cheon Woong Kang

Cheon Woong Kang is affiliated with the National Institute of Environmental Research. His research is atmospheric environmental engineering and the effect of VOCs in the atmosphere.

Kyong Whan Moon

Kyong Whan Moon He is a professor at the School of Health and Environmental Science at Korea University. His research spans both substantive and methodological studies in order to investigate and prevent risks in the natural environment and workplace. His major research areas include heavy metals, biocides, pesticides, asbestos, long-term exposure, and health impact assessments.

Hyo Eun Lee

Hyo Eun Lee Ph.D., is a research scientist at Safety partners KOREA. She studied at the Department of Health science at Korea University. Her research activities include using atmospheric modeling and VOCs measurement, analysiss to assess and quantify air quality and public health.